An Age of Ash: Mad God Album Launch – Sognage, Randburg

Taking place at Sognage Newly Upgraded Room 2.
Tickets will be R100 presale and R120 at the door.

Come join us for the great unveiling. \m/

Mad God is a South African traditional/stoner doom metal band formed in 2014 by Tim Harbour (vocals & guitar), Patrick Stephansen (drums) and Tim Harrison (bass). Known for bridging classic doom with psychedelic textures, the band’s earlier releases A Tale of A Sightless City (2017) and Grotesque and Inexorable (2018) drew heavily on themes of cosmic horror and true crime.

With their new album, An Age Of Ash, Mad God push further into narrative-driven territory, delivering a fully realised concept album rooted in dark fantasy. Musically, the record expands their sound with stronger progressive influences, unconventional rhythms and more adventurous song structures, while remaining grounded in slow, crushing doom and groove.

“With this new album, we wanted to do something more cohesive than our previous releases and decided to produce it as a concept album. We also wanted a more natural-sounding album and opted for a live recording without click, with each song recorded in full in one take,” the band explains.

An Age Of Ash tells the story of a world in collapse: a war-torn kingdom, a young woman’s quest for absolution, and a father’s corrupted journey toward redemption. As humanity forgets ancient evils, darker forces rise in the shadows. Corrupt leadership, demonic betrayal and forgotten gods converge as the balance of existence begins to unravel. What unfolds is a bleak, violent fantasy narrative where hope is scarce and survival is uncertain.

The writing process stretched across several years, beginning with early ideas in 2021 and coming together fully by mid-2024. Following the addition of Danny Helsing on bass in 2021, the band quickly developed a tight creative chemistry. Songs were built organically, often starting with a single riff and evolving through extended jam sessions.

The album incorporates more odd time signatures, unconventional melodies and progressive arrangements, while maintaining a cohesive and heavy groove throughout. One track was originally written entirely by drummer Patrick Stephansen and later expanded collaboratively, while others were completed through full-band experimentation.

The album was recorded live at Helsing Studios, with all core instrumentation performed together and no click track, capturing a raw and kinetic energy not previously heard on a Mad God release. Aside from vocals and some doubling, all performances—including solos—were recorded live, with the lead parts improvised in the moment.

Recording took place across four to five full-band sessions, followed by separate vocal sessions. Mixing and mastering were handled by bassist Danny Helsing, who crafted the album’s dense, atmospheric tones while preserving the natural power of the live performances.